Getting louder may hint that something or someone is about to pounce. Soft, eerie music can raise suspense by suggesting danger in the distance. Refers to how loud or soft notes are played, and how the volume changes during the course of a song. Bringing back a steady rhythm helps ease the tension.Įdvard Grieg: “In The Hall of the Mountain King” (excerpt) from Peer Gynt (1875) Dynamics Using an unsteady beat often hints that something is out of whack or out of control.

Slowing down the beat might indicate lurking evil or a fading heartbeat. Accelerating tempo (speed of music) might suggest a chase or the heavy breathing of a frightened character. By changing the pace-speeding up the rhythm or slowing it down-the composer sends a signal that can put listeners on the edge of their seats. What are other ways composers craft their music to scare us?Ī heartbeat, ticking clock, footsteps, a galloping horse-these are familiar sounds a composer may echo in the beat of a song. “Our instincts tell us a creature is upon us and we need to run away or turn and fight.” That was the technique the Jaws theme used to such terrifying effect. “My hunch is that our brains hear that music in terms of being hunted,” suggests Lerner. For example, the music may speed up and grow louder to suggest the danger is closing in. Music composers and arrangers have a variety of ways to add eeriness, ramp up suspense, or help deliver the shock people love to fear, according to Professor Lerner.Ī favorite scary music technique is sound and music that hints a character is being chased. Lerner is a professor of music at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, and an expert in horror film music. “Music contributes a lot to the overall emotional experience of an audience,” says Neil Lerner. And the creators of spooky tunes know exactly what they are doing to send shivers down the spines of listeners. Most listeners automatically recognize when music sends clues that something creepy is hiding under the bed, in the basement, or behind the mask. Scary music has a long, bone-chilling history in symphonies, plays, ballets, and operas, as well as movies. The theme from Jaws is one example of scary movie music at its horrifying best. John Williams: “Main Title” (excerpt) from Jaws (1975) BAH-DUMP…-warning the shark was closing in for a snack-was enough to make the audience crawl under the seats and cancel the trip to the beach. The accelerating musical theme- bah-dump…bah-dump…bah-dump…BAH-DUMP, BAH-DUMP, BAH-DUMP. It also demonstrated the power of scary music. But the film did more than freak out people with a rompin’, chompin’ mechanical Great White shark.

In the summer of 1975, moviegoers lined up to get a good scare.

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